170 VERTEBRATA. - PISCES. 



The historical interest which attaches to this sin- 

 gular fish, renders it necessary that it should be 

 noticed. It has no trace of the pectoral fins, and 

 the dorsal and anal are exceedingly narrow, but 

 united round the tail, as in the Eels : a single row 

 of sharp teeth is in each jaw. The Muraena of the 

 ancients (M. Helena) was so highly esteemed, that 

 the luxurious Romans kept it in large reservoirs, 

 where it was carefully fattened, and frequently 

 became so tame, as to come at the call of its feeder. 

 There is a well-known story narrated by Pliny, of 

 a wretch named Vedius Pollio, who was in the habit 

 of throwing his transgressing slaves alive into the 

 pond which contained his Mursenae, expressing a 

 brutal pleasure at being able thus to feast upon their 

 digested remains. A young slave happening to 

 break a crystal goblet, when the emperor was pre- 

 sent at an entertainment given by this monster, he 

 was ordered to be cast into the fishpool. The boy, 

 however, in desperation, appealed to the emperor, 

 and explained the matter to him, who was so shock- 

 ed at the brutality, that he gave the boy his liberty, 

 ordered all the crystal vessels in the house to be 

 broken, the ponds to be filled up, and spared the 

 wretch's life only in consideration of past familiarity. 

 The Muraena attains the length of four or five feet, 

 and is beautifully mottled with golden-yellow and 

 purple ; it is very voracious, and its bite is severe. 

 * Its Latin name. 



